The PoliceOne Firearms Corner

with Ron Avery

Maintaining hygiene under field or extreme conditions

One of the biggest problems following natural disasters is the spread of disease and infection after the event. With the breakdown of basic sanitation services and clean water, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a reasonable standard of hygiene.

If you had to stay in your home without basic sewer systems functioning with your family, it would become a fairly acute problem in short order. First responders (and others) that have to remain in these areas for extended periods of time also face many of these same issues.

It goes beyond this however, when it comes to convenient sanitation. As a deputy sheriff in Northwest Colorado, I had 4,000 square miles of territory to patrol. Finding a convenient place to “#2” isn’t always a “no brainer.”

How about the times when you have to man a roadblock or command post and there are no Porta Potties nearby?

What if you had to provide sanitation to a jail facility after a catastrophic natural disaster and you had inadequate personnel to safeguard prisoners while taking them back and forth to Porta Potties?

We tend not to think about these things until they happen to us. I think everybody has been in a situation where they really needed someplace to go and there was nothing around. If you have kids, this can become even more pressing.

As part of our commitment to emergency preparedness and the well being of our readers, we occasionally test, evaluate, and use many new and innovative products and product lines, and we have found that Philip Environmental Products has developed products that deal with this problem in a very convenient, environmentally-conscientious way.

They call it “The SYSTEM” and it is an apt name. Comprised of the PUP privacy shelter, The PETT portable toilet, 15 WAGBAGS with POO Powder in them, and the TOTE Backpack to carry it all, it is a complete field or home sanitation system.

It all fits in the backpack, which has an additional pocket to store used waste bags in a very sanitary way. Here is a description of their waste bag, from their website, which contains everything you need, with or without the portable toilet.

The WAG BAG Toilet in a Bag waste kit is a biodegradable double bag system made from puncture resistant materials.

Each waste kit includes a zip close disposal/transport bag, a waste collection bag preloaded with Poo Powder waste treatment, toilet paper and a hand sanitizer.

Our non-toxic Poo Powder waste treatment treats up to 32 ounces of liquid and solid waste allowing for multiple use. It turns liquid waste to a solid for hygienic and spill proof transport. The Poo Powder waste treatment controls odors and contains a decay catalyst that breaks down solid waste.

The WAG BAG Toilet in a Bag waste kits are biodegradable and approved for landfill disposal. Designed to be used with The PETT toilet, they may be used by themselves, in a standard toilet, or an RV or camping toilet. Simply remove all liquids and chemicals from the toilet prior to use.

Their products were used by first responders after Hurricane Katrina and are being used worldwide to meet a variety of sanitation needs in remote sites or emergency situations.

I carry their System, in the backpack, along with an extra container of “Poo Powder”, to training events on more remote ranges and campsites and I can testify to the ease and convenience of sanitation in these areas. The PUP privacy shelter makes for comfort and the standard height PETT toilet is a real bonus feature.

The POO Powder™ deserves special mention as it gels liquid waste and helps break down solid waste. Having a spare container containing extra powder extends the use of the waste kits. Just pour an ample amount of powder on after each use.

You don’t have to buy the system as a whole. You can buy individual products and use them where you need them.

I put three waste kits in my “possibles bag” so that I can use them anywhere; indoors or out, where there is no basic sanitation or I can’t get to sanitation facilities readily. They are biodegradable and you can throw them in the trash when you are done with them.

For those that are doing day patrols, hikes or outings in established parks, recreation areas or trail systems, the WAG bags make for a convenient way to “leave no trace” and you can dispose of them later.

All in all, I am very impressed with the system. Get it and try it out. I think you will be impressed. You can find out more about their products by going to their website. Their website also has self explanatory pictures of how the products are deployed and used. Tell them you saw it on PoliceOne!

About the author

Ron Avery is President and Director of Training for The Practical Shooting Academy, Inc. and Executive Director of the non-profit, Rocky Mountain Tactical Institute - both training institutions dedicated to professional firearms and tactics courses, higher police standards and training and use of force research. Train with Ron Avery. Visit his Course Calendar. Ron is a former police officer with many years of street experience, which he brings into the training environment. He is internationally recognized as a researcher, firearms trainer and world class shooter. His training methodology is currently being used by hundreds of agencies and thousands of individuals across the US and internationally. Ron has worked as a consultant and trainer for top level federal agencies, special operations military from all branches of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies across the US. He is a weapons and tactics trainer for handgun, carbine, select fire, precision rifle and shotgun, as well as advanced instructor schools, defensive tactics, team skills and tactics, low light tactics, arrest and control and officer survival. Contact Ron Avery